Henniker Community School student Piper MacLean models a hat from the school's lost-and-found table. (COURTESY)

Henniker school starts online lost and found

By NANCY BEAN FOSTERUnion Leader Correspondent

HENNIKER - Instead of leaving all the articles on the lost-and-found table without a home, the staff at the Henniker Community School have launched a campaign to reunite abandoned items with their owners.

Using the school's website, www.hcs.sau24.org, and the help of some talented students, Assistant Principal Karen Raymond and Technology Specialist Leanne Chauvette are reaching out to parents to identify lost items.

"The lost and found table becomes 'Mount Lost and Found' rather quickly," said Raymond. "We've tried a number of tactics to have things returned to their rightful owners. Everything from hauling it all to the cafe so kids can look at it during lunch to having a fashion show during lunch for kids to see if they notice what is theirs, and nothing so far has worked."

Raymond realized that cutting out the middle man - the students - and going straight to the parents who paid for the items and may have a bigger stake in getting them home, might get better results.

"I figured if parents could see what we have, they might recognize it. Certainly not all parents can come into school and rummage through the piles, so I enlisted the help of our Technology Specialist Leanne Chauvette," said Raymond.

Chauvette took her seventh grade technology class and had them photograph the items on the lost-and-found table using students to model many of the items. Students also wrote descriptions of the items and the photographs were posted on the school's website under the caption, "LOST & FOUND ... Looks good on us, BUT better on you!"

"The reaction has been fabulous," said Raymond.

Within the first few days of featuring the lost-and-found items on the website, many have been claimed.

"It was just a fun way to solve a problem and teach at the same time," Raymond said. "We have returned some items to families, taught photography, computer and website skills to students, and tied in a writing project as well. Kids having fun while they learn and there's a productive outcome, it doesn't get any better."